gotarheelz14

Now that i'm just starting out, pricked fingers from treble hooks are an honor badge to me. It tells me I was at least out fishing, even if I didn't catch anything... 8-)

Caught two fish so far in two days of bank fishing in small ponds. The one was around what I think was 4-5lbs. The other maybe 1lb-1.5lbs. I have only really fished seriously for this past couple of weeks. So pretty much, everytime I have gone out, they have all been PBs. Right now my goals are to get to a point where I can consistently get out there and catch multiple amounts of fish. Overall though, I'm lovin the fishin' right now :D

I found this pond near my house that I think is PERFECT for frog type topwaters. It has tons of surface vegetation. It appears to be some heavy type of algae. I actually can't think of many other things that would work on this pond besides a frog. Anyway, How am I supposed to fish these things? Do I pop them accross the surface? Do I twitch it while I crank? Rod tip up? Rod tip down? I'm kind of lost on how to get a "realistic" looking action actually... Thanks guys. PS. I used the search option and couldn't find any "How to's" on frogs. Thanks.

Jesus thanks man, I really felt like I was going crazy lol

Ok for all those who "can't believe the Mexican stereotypes", HELLO????? Are you reading what I wrote? IT ALREADY IS A STEREOTYPE. As a matter of fact, TONS of people already say it at my fishing club. They crap on "Mexicans" or any "Mexican" looking people for doing exactly what I said. They complain that they use fisheries, trash them and take out all the fish to feed their families. Can one of you PLEASE explain to me how this is remotely close to being raciest? I would love to have you explain to me how my actions were out of line. Just because I am approaching a sensitive and charged subject does not mean that I can't address it at all. :

I am just SOOOO glad that they are not Mexican or Hispanic descent. I hear a lot of people complain that they always take everything they catch. That would have just about put a nail on the coffin for that stereotype. I am Guatemalan and that is something I DO NOT want to be stuck with every time I go out fishing...

Yeah really, thanks for sharing. I have both of these stores available to me and would love to give them my business for outstanding service such as these. Especially when I am as bad at losing recepits/warranty info as I am....

So is post spawn spring THE time to throw Topwaters or what? Sorry if its an obvious answer. I'm just new to bass fishing...

Thanks for the early responses. As for what Matt noted, I did edit my post. In my original post I used "pitching" and "flipping" interchangably until Matt said something and made me realize that I incorrectly interchanged the terms.

When you are pitching, or as I understand it, grabbing the bait about reel high and using your rod as a pendulum to pitch it, what is considered to be a far pitch? I know you are supposed to get pretty darn close to where you will be fishing, but what is the maximum distance that you should be able to or should pitch?

So I have been fishing a lot and I find that I love using my 7' MH Fast action St. Croix Mojo Bass for spinnerbaits as it was designed. In the early spring I have already had great success. However, at times I pull up on a bunch of really thick sticks and underground branches or grass or light cover that I would love to try to penetrate with a jig or soft plastic. Instead of having to retie with a whole new texas rig setup, I would like to just get another rod so I can pitch my soft plastic into that area. I would like to stay within the Mojo Bass range. I see that they have a 7'6" MH Moderate Fast action rod. Would this be a good rod to use for this? Or should I go with something smaller like their 6'6 MH Fast rod? I really like the idea of the pitching presentation of swinging my rod out like a pendulum to quietly hit those targets. So the length seems good but wouldn't it make more sense that the action be really fast to drive in the single hooks hard into the fish's jaw? Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Thanks, Carlos

Hey all, I am going with a spinning, baitcaster, treble hook setup as advised by Roadwarrior and others. If I understand it correctly, in order to avoid putting excessive pressure on the tiny hooks of treble hooks, it is preferable to have a rod that gives a lot so you can keep pressure on the fish but you don't yank the hooks out. For this i was thinking I would go with a Moderate action rod. Medium Heavy perhaps? I already have a Bass Mojo, 7' MH, Fast action. It's their spinnerbait rod but I think that it is also great for jigs and heavier soft plastics. I was thinking that because I like this one, I might as well get the Crankbait rod but I haven't really heard anything about it. I have also heard that you want fiberglass for this moderate action purpose? I need help and opinions. I want to spend about $100. Maybe $120 if I can find something extremely better than at the $100 level. I will continue to read reviews but hope to get some first hand info/opinions from the community. Thanks guys! Carlos

What is it anyway? An alligator? Can't tell from that pic...

well the wording was extremely ambiguous. I meant that he is selling me BOTH for $120. As in, I pay him $120 and he gives me the C3 and C4. They are brand spanking new to. Are they good reels though?

I forgot to mention. He is selling me both for $120

So on craigslist, I talked to a guy who has two brand spanking new reels, a C3 and C4. He says he needs to sell them to be able to get a Revo, which apparantley is better but also way out of my price range. I picked out the C3 since its 5.4:1 for crankbaits. I picked out the C4 since its 6:1 for spinnerbaits, jigs and worms on a MH Rod. Anyways are these good reels? Do you think this is an alright combination to have? Thanks, Carlos

RoadWarrior, or anyone who can answer, What is the difference between the two rods you mentioned. And, how deep is "deep diving cranks" Furthermore, can deep diving suited rods be used for shallow diving crankbaits?

Thanks for the help guys! That's what I needed to hear. It is also comforting that I wasn't too far gone in my thinking Oh and congrats on the Duke win last night. I go to school at UNC right now but I have always loved and respected Duke's basketball program. I really like coach K too. He is the best college basketball coach in my opinion. So spinnerbaits are good on fast action tips? I thought I would require something softer like a moderate so they wouldnt just hit it and spit it.

Please guys I need help! This will be my first setup and I would love to avoid spending a lot of money on "mistakes" Halp!

Hello all, I will be getting a new setup since I had terrible gear before which I will not even mention. I have been doing a lot of research but a lot of it is downright contradicting to each other so I need yall's help. I am looking to start out with three rods for the main three baits; SoftPlastics, Cranks, Spinnerbaits This is the way I have narrowed it down: 1.) Fast Action, Medium Power 7'0 Spinning Graphite St Croix Triumph/Daiwa Exceler Spinning Rod 5:1 ---Long rod for good cast range ---Medium Power for extreme lightness (will be 6- 12o'clock all day) ---Fast Action for good hook sets ---Spinning for low weight of plastic (no birds nest) ---5:1 Spinning Rod for good Power reeling back Good For: Worms, Jigs, Soft Plastics 2.) Medium Action, Medium-Heavy Power 7'0 BPS Cranking Rod/Abu Garcia 5:1 Ambassadeur Baitcasting Reel ---Long for Casting Distance ---Medium Heavy for Good power bringing back fish into the boat ---Medium Action and Fiberglass flexibility to let fish "suck crankbait in" ---Slow Reel to allow Crankbait to stay in the zone for longer and dive deeper Good for: Crankbaits 3.) Medium Action, Medium Heavy Power 7'0 BPS Cranking Rod/Shimano 6:1 Citica Baitcasting Reel ---Long for Casting Distance ---Medium Heavy for Good power bringing back fish into the boat ---Medium Action and Fiberglass flexibility to let fish suck bait in ---Fast Reel to get bait moving fast Good for: Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits After the research I have done this seems like a good plan of attack for me. I basically just want a small set up right now which will let me fish the most for my money. If you think this is a solid plan or you wish to comment on my logic or selections please, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks Carlos